PROTECTING PRIVACY IN GROUP COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20080120374A1
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Published: 05/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synchronica PLC (Myriad Group AG)
• Original Assignee: OZ Communications Incorporated (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Regnier, Jean, Le Bodic, Gwenael, Kawa, Claude
• Granted Patent: US 9,462,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0414 during transmission, i.e. party's identity is protected against eavesdropping, e.g. by using temporary identifiers, but is known to the other party or parties involved in the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communication real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM] H04L51/04; selective video distribution H04N21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]

Abstract

Methods and systems for protecting the privacy of a user of a communication system that include enabling a first user to block a second user so that the first user generally appears to the second user to be unavailable. The method includes allowing a third user to establish a group that includes the first user and the second user. The group may be any sort of group that involves communication among three or more users. For example, the group may be an instant message group, voice chat, conference call, video conference, or any other suitable group communication. The method also enables a blocked user to be temporarily unblocked so as to prevent his blocking decision to be revealed to the blocked user.

Claims

1. In a presence service, a method for protecting the privacy of a user, comprising:

enabling a first user to block a second user so that the first user generally appears to the second user to be unavailable;

allowing a third user to establish a group that includes the first user and the second user;

communicating true presence data about the first user to the second user when the first user and the second user are both participating in the group, and otherwise communicating to the second user that the first user is unavailable.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communicating step comprises communicating true presence data about the first user to the second user when the first user and the second user are both participating in the group and for a period of time thereafter, and otherwise communicating to the second user that the first user is unavailable.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the period may vary for each time that the first user and the second user participate in the group.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user can see messages from the second user communicated to the group, but any messages from the second user to the first user are otherwise blocked.

5. A system for protecting the privacy of a user, comprising:

a blocking subsystem for enabling a first user to block a second user so that the first user generally appears to the second user to be unavailable;

a group communication subsystem for allowing a third user to establish a group that includes the first user and the second user; and

a presence communication subsystem for communicating true presence data about the first user to the second user when the first user and the second user are both participating in the group, and otherwise communicating to the second user that the first user is unavailable.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the presence communication subsystem communicates true presence data about the first user to the second user when the first user and the second user are both participating in the group and for a period of time thereafter, and otherwise communicates to the second user that the first user is unavailable.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the period may vary each time that the first user and the second user participate in the group.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the first user can see messages from the second communicated to the group, but any messages from the second user to the first user are otherwise blocked.